BERKELEY, Calif. -- Stanfords midseason slump is becoming a distant memory now that Christian McCaffrey is healthy once again and the Cardinal are finishing the season in typical fashion with another Big Game win.McCaffreys 90-yard touchdown run highlighted a record-setting 284-yard rushing performance that led Stanford to its seventh straight win in the rivalry game, 45-31 over California on Saturday.After struggling to move the ball at all during a stretch of three losses in four games back in October when McCaffrey was slowed by an undisclosed injury, the Cardinal (8-3, 6-3 Pac-12) have hit their stride late in the season.Weve definitely had some ups and downs, McCaffrey said. To see where we are now gives us a lot of hope going into each week knowing that we can play and get into a rhythm and really hurt some people in the run game.McCaffrey broke his own single-game rushing record at Stanford of 243 yards and the Big Game record of 226 yards set by Cals Joe Igber in 2002 to help the Cardinal (8-3, 6-3 Pac-12) keep the coveted Axe with yet another win over their rival.Stanford matched the longest win streak in the rivalry that dates back to 1892. The Cardinal also won seven straight against Cal (4-7, 2-6) from 1995-2001.Any time you win the Big Game, its a fun one, not only for this team but for this school, quarterback Keller Chryst saidDavis Webb threw for 393 yards and two touchdowns and Tre Watson ran for two scores for the Golden Bears, who are assured of a fifth losing season in the past six years and will miss out on a bowl bid unless there are not enough six-win teams to fill all the slots.Our margin of error is very slim, Webb said. The games we win we dont really mess up, and the games we lose we mess up. Its not that hard. We just have to get better.The game started well for Cal, which stopped Stanford on the opening drive and then scored on its first offensive play on a 70-yard pass from Webb to Chad Hansen.Stanford tied the game two plays later on a 16-yard run by Chryst and took control early in the third quarter when McCaffrey burst through the middle for his long touchdown run that was one of his three scoring runs in the game.That was the big momentum thing at that point, Cal coach Sonny Dykes said. Stanford had the momentum and we just never seemed to be able to get it back.THE TAKEAWAYStanford: The biggest reasons for Stanfords turnaround have been a healthy McCaffrey, who has rushed for 787 yards and scored 10 TDs in a four-game winning streak, and Chryst. After struggling early on as Ryan Burns replacement, Chryst has been much improved of late. He threw for 198 yards and two TDs against Cal, giving him 456 yards passing and five touchdowns the past two weeks.California: After a promising start to the season with two wins over ranked teams, the Bears are headed for another losing campaign because of the same problems that have plagued the program ever since Dykes took over as coach in 2013. The defense has struggled to stop anyone, allowing 51.3 points per game while losing five of the past six contests. The run defense, which came into the game ranked second to last in FBS allowing 283.4 yards per game, was even worse against McCaffrey and the Cardinal. Stanford finished with 357 yards.LONG RUNSMcCaffrey has scored on long runs the past two weeks, following up his 61-yarder at Oregon with the 90-yarder this week as Stanford has taken advantage of defenses stacking the box to stop the run.If we can secure those guys and get him through the first level, hes got a clear path to the end zone, Coach David Shaw said. Strike up the band and bring on the PAT.BIG RECEIVERCals 310-pound fullback Malik McMorris got involved in the passing game for the first time. He caught a short pass and rumbled for a 20-yard gain to set up one TD and added a 6-yard catch later in the game.UP NEXTStanford: Host Rice on Saturday to finish the regular season.California: Host UCLA on Saturday to finish the regular season.---More AP college football: www.collegefootball.ap.org and https://twitter.com/AP-Top25 Tomas Nosek Golden Knights Jersey .ca NHL Power Rankings for the second straight week, ahead of the Pittsburgh Penguins and Colorado Avalanche. Reilly Smith Golden Knights Jersey . -- Linebacker Myles Jack ran for four touchdowns, defensive end Cassius Marsh caught a scoring pass, and No. http://www.goldenknightssale.com/authentic-max-pacioretty-golden-knights-jersey/ . Badenhop was 2-3 with a 3.47 ERA in 63 relief appearances for Milwaukee this season. He is 18-20 in his career with three saves and a 3. Malcolm Subban Jersey . Goals from Jerome Boateng, Franck Ribery and Thomas Mueller extended Bayerns unbeaten run to a record 37 matches. "This record is incredible," Bayern coach Pep Guardiola said. Shea Theodore Golden Knights Jersey . He said Tuesday thats a big reason why he is now the new coach of the Tennessee Titans. Whisenhunt said he hit it off quickly with Ruston Webster when interviewing for the job Friday night.Michael Carrick’s return to the Manchester United team for the win over Swansea has been hailed as the catalyst behind their improved performance. But what is it about the midfielder that makes him so important? Adam Bate examines the evidence… Its one thing to be 25-years-old, another thing to be 35-years-old. Thats the logic of things. But the only thing I can say is hes phenomenal. No doubts about it … I would love to play him every game but thats not possible … He started at Swansea and played very, very well.Jose Mourinhos explanation for Michael Carricks belated inclusion in his Premier League starting line-up for the 3-1 win at Swansea last time out was a little disingenuous. There had been multiple opportunities for the Manchester United manager to turn to Carrick earlier. Swansea 1-3 Manchester Utd Although United have won all six matches in which he has featured this season, the veteran midfielder struggled to make the squad in the early weeks of the season and was an unused substitute for the back-to-back defeats against Feyenoord and Watford in September.This was not because of careful game management. It was Mourinho searching for a longer-term solution to his midfield conundrum. But it seems there are still qualities that Carrick possesses that are absent elsewhere in the United squad. Qualities that help the team.Rio Ferdinand calls him the best passer at the club while Gary Neville, another old team-mate, once compared Carrick to a piano. Hes peaceful, hes calm, he brings composure to everyone else around him, said Neville. Thats important for young players. Carrick scored in the EFL Cup win over Northampton Town in September Only last year Wayne Rooney was enthusing about how Carrick turned around Englands friendly against Italy after coming on as a substitute by dictating the game and bringing control to the teams work. Mourinho has spoken of the balance that he provides.These are difficult qualities to measure and that makes them easy to dismiss. Carrick didnt score or assist a goal at Swansea, after all. He didnt make a tackle either. But even from such a small sample size this season, Carricks statistics do hint at what he brings to a team.He has made 112 passes in only 102 minutes of Premier League football this season with a completion rate of more than 96 per cent. In short, when Carricks on the pitch he passes the ball to a team-mate more regularly and with greater accuracy than anyone else. Man Utd midfielders 2016/17 Player Passes / 90 Player Passing accuracy Michael Carrick 98.8 Michael Carrick 96.55% Ander Herrera 69.9 Juan Mata 90.84% Paul Pogba 62.7 Marouane Fellaini 89.35% Juan Mata 56.3 Ander Herrera 87.45% Marouane Fellaini 55.dddddddddddd7 Paul Pogba 86.11% But its about more than keeping calm and keeping hold of the ball. Its not just that hes circulating possession but the direction in which hes circulating it. Thats whats helping those around him. In particular, it could be crucial for record signing Paul Pogba.Mourinho knew he needed Pogbas dynamism - the second midfield player is how he describes that role of the runner rather than the passer in the middle of the park. But on the evidence of the early part of the season, getting him on the ball in the right areas is an issue.Carrick could be the man to change that. Mourinho has highlighted his big understanding of the game so perhaps its not merely a coincidence that he found Pogba eight times in his first Premier League appearance of the campaign as a late substitute against Leicester. Carrick and Pogba Michael Carrick has passed to Paul Pogba 25 times in only 102 minutes of Premier League action. By way of comparison, that meant that Carrick passed the ball to Pogba more times in a quarter of an hour than either Juan Mata or Ander Herrera did in the entire game. The Swansea game saw a continuation of this fledgling relationship.Carrick passed to Pogba 17 times at the Liberty Stadium, more than anyone else. As a result, hes averaging a pass to the Frenchman every four minutes so far this season - more than three times as often as Rooney, for example, has succeeded in getting the ball to him.Much has been made of how Pogba found his feet at Juventus alongside Andrea Pirlo and Claudio Marchisio. Their intelligent use of the ball helped him flourish. Thats been missing. Alarmingly, in the defeat to Manchester City, the man who supplied Pogba most often was David de Gea. Is it time for Jose Mourinho to turn to Carrick to help Uniteds midfield? With Carrick in the team, thats unlikely to happen again. As Mourinho puts it, hes a player who adds stability in our game and provides mental freedom for the other guys to be more offensive in their work as well. For United fans, this isnt a new realisation.It even worked briefly for Louis van Gaal. Carrick won the first seven matches he started last season, extending his total winning run to 11 when the wins over Tottenham, Liverpool, Aston Villa and City were included from the previous 2014/15 campaign.That sequence of results in the spring of 2015 marked Uniteds best period under the Dutchman, one that only came to an end once Carrick picked up an injury just prior to the 1-0 defeat at Chelsea in the April. Winning without him is not a problem unique to Mourinho. Watch NOW TV Watch Sky Sports for just ￡6.99. No contract. The closest Van Gaal ever got to fluidity at Old Trafford was with that triumvirate of Carrick, Herrera and Marouane Fellaini. Perhaps that could yet be the template for the new manager with the not insignificant upgrade of subbing in Pogba for the burly Belgian.Mourinho knows it is not the answer he envisaged but nor can he afford to look too far ahead. Arsenal are the visitors on Saturday and picking the best team to win the match should surely be the only thing in his thoughts. That will mean Carrick.Its a pity you sometimes cannot stop the clock, said Mourinho earlier this month. Michael is such an important player and very difficult to replace. But the issue of finding a replacement is now a task for January at the earliest and, more likely, well beyond that. Man Utd vs Arsenal November 19, 2016, 11:30am Live on Get Sky Sports Get a Sky Sports pass By then, the hope will be that Pogba is fully settled and this United side are playing with some confidence again. Carrick can help with that. He knows exactly what I can do, my strengths, he told Sky Sports earlier this season. I am not going to change my game now.Theres no need for that. The events of this season have only added to the suspicion that Carrick doing what Carrick does might be exactly what United had been missing. 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